ERRANT POLYCHAETE CRYPTOFAUNA (EXCLUDING SYLLIDAE AND NEREIDAE) FROM RIMS OF SIMILAR INTERTIDAL VERMETID REEFS ON THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST OF ISRAEL AND IN THE GULF OF ELAT

ABSTRACT

The Eirantia were from two similar habitats in the Gulf of Elat and the Mediterranean coast of Israel. These were porous reefs of aggregated Dendropoma spp. tubes encrusted on the seaward margins of intertidal platforms. The two most abundant families, Syllidae and Nereidae, are treated in separate papers. Eleven comparatively rare families remain. Six are from the Mediterranean: Amphinomidae, Phyllodocidae, Eunicidae, Lumbrineridae, Arabellidae and Dorvilleidae, with 12 species in all, of which three are identified tentatively and one is identified only to genus. Excepting Amphinomidae and Dorvilleidae, these families are also present in the Gulf of Elat, with five additional families: Polynoidae, Chrysopetalidae, Euphrosinidae, Pilargidae and Glyceridae, making a total of nine families and 15 species, two of which are identified tentatively and one is identified only to genus. Two species are new records for the eastern Mediterranean: Phyllodoce longifrons Ben-Eliahu and Arabella geniculata (Claparede). Six species are new records from the Gulf of Elat, all with previous records from the Red Sea: Paleanotus cf. chrysolepis Schmarda, Bhawania goodei Webster, Euphrosine foliosa Milne-Edwards, Phyllodoce malmgreni Gravier, Synelmis albini (Langerhans) and Eunice afra punctata Peters.